Extension ladder bracket



Feb. 23, 1954 Mul K. A. SPLUVAK,

EXTENSION LADDER BRACKET Filed Sept. 22, 1951 INVENTOR. m4 LMA N A- SPLUVA/r ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 23, 1954 EXTENSION LADDER"BRAGKET;-

Kalmamm Snluvak, Clea e andaQhia Application September 22, 1951; seam. 247:823

Glaimse- ClJ..228-l-.-25:) a

'l'ihiseinventioni relates; generally: to" the -iladder mtcandrissnarticularly 'concerned: with i an externsionzladden which: can be; quiclclya-andieasilys ase sembled; and. disassembled-z and". a new fits, tingfor; use :with anextension; ladders to ,1 f acilie tatesuch;assemblyand disassembly.

Heretofore extensionladders shavelbeen assemw bledlandidisassembledlby being -slid endwise-relate tivel-to; one; another. Thetlower. ladden i. e,-,- the one; which.- restsson theground; carries fixed; L.- shapedgbracketswhich extend upwardlm from .the siderailsthereof 1 and: overhangthe: side rails: 01- thetupperladderzand retain therladderseinrassembled ppsitions Such-an extensiontladden canzbe erected againsta buildin andltakentdown only with the, expenditure, on considerable effort. because, the ladders ,mustbe assembled .beforebeing raisedpr, erected, against ,thenbuildingl Theneed has, long existed; for an. extension ladder which could be.ql lickly. erected ontaken down with little efiiort and'with which theassembl'y o,r. iisassembly; may be accomplishedwhile theAlonw-en hiddenv is standing in,erectedlposition against the building So far as I i know, this demand has never been suppliedprior to my, invention:

These: objects are attained the-present invention in which-fittings are attached toione side railof the" lower ladder which-maybe lockedyin position to holditlieupper ladderassembledwiththe lower ladder or in position to permit. relativesideWie movement" of the'laddersin assembling or disassembling the ladders.

The; nresentinvention will bezbetter. understood'by those skilled in tlie art'from the following specification readinconjunction with the accompanying drawings, intwhichz Ilia 1-: is: a: fragmentary, view-e f: an extensi ladder; embodying the presents inventionz and equippedwi-th fittings zembodyinggthat invention, these fittings being shown in; difierent; adjusted positions;

Eig, 2 is; afragmentary, crossr-sectional;v view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 through one of the fittings and showing in dotted line an adjusted position of the fitting; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 the extension ladder comprises a lower ladder having side rails I and rungs 2 and an upper ladder having side rails 3 and rungs 4.

One side rail of the lower ladder is equipped with two rigid brackets 5 of the conventional type in which flanges extend laterally at the outer or upper ends to overlie one side rail 3 of the upper ladder. The opposite side rail I of the lower ladder is equipped with adjustable fittings.

Each of" these adjustable fittings comprises-s9, lower plate' Ill having;- a lateral, outwardly ex tending end Il and-"a bifurcated end havin'ggeye portions m provided with aligned pivot-receiving apertures; one 'aperture I3 being non-cylindri cal: preferably rectangular incrossesection: Theaperture 1 tin the-other eye'portion is-prefer ably cylindrical in cross-section; Thefitting-ralso includesan upper plate I5 havingan inward laterallyextending upperend portion I6 and an eye IV -at its: other end receivablebetween eye portions ll of" plate I0 and provided with an aperture I8 which is non cylindrical and-preferably rectangular in cross-sectionbut-conforming to the cross-section of aperture: I 32 The fitting also includes a pin 2'0 having-a non-circulanprefi era-bly rectangular portion 2| adjacent to: its head conforming to and of a size to enter aperitures: I 3' 'and I 3 and prevent relative rotation" of plates I 0* and I 5 Atthe opposite end 'ofl the pin 201a cotter-pin 22 ret'ains in compression a spring 23 which is coiled 'around'pin 29 and 'bears -at one. end against the cotter pin and -at'the other en'd againstthel'ower plate I 0;

AStWfll be seenby'referring toF igsa 13andf3; the lowerplates I 0 ofthe adjustable fittings are secured: against the-inner face of "oneside rail; I of the: lowers ladder: opposite to thefixed" brackets 5; .bolts- 25 serving 130:: hold; the: rail and plate-Kin 1 assembledipositionc with endiporti'on I '1 projectsin'gr-underneath: the-, side rail? When the pins; 210, are moved endwise'upwardly; as in Figs: 15 and againstnthe;v compression of: spring 23; the'nomoncular portions: 2|: may be moved" up out of apart-dress I8 2in upper-plate I51 whereuponthat plate: may: be turned. through approximately '90?" tor the; positioir shown. in I dotted? lines zin 2 ands in t full; lines inxthe. lower: fitting of." Fig. 1': With flthz fittings adjusted in; thisymannei'z' the n uppezyladdermay; be;v assembled? with 1 the; lowerv laddenv by; being; moved: sidew=ise relative to z" the lower; ladder? tobring one side railmnderrfixed brackets 5 and the other side rail within the inner side of the opposite rail I of the lower ladder, i. e., the two ladders are thus brought into assembled position. Then, by again moving the pins to bring the portions 2| out of apertures I8, the upper plates I5 of each fitting may be moved to the full line position in Fig. 2, i. e., the position shown by the upper fitting of Fig. 1, where the lateral end portions I6 of the fittings will overlie the adjacent side rail of the upper ladder and hold the ladders in assembled position and the portions 2| of the pins will enter apertures I8 when the pins are allowed to move endwise in response to the springs 23 thereby locking plates I0 and I against rotation. The ladders may be readily disassembled by reversing the foregoing procedure, i. e., moving pins 20 endwise against springs 23 until portions 2! move out of apertures l8 and then rotating the upper plates 15 to clear the side rail of the upper ladder. Thus the plates I5 may be locked in each position and all danger of accidental disassembly in use is avoided.

When the apertures 13 and I8 are rectangular in cross-section, plate i5 may be locked in positions 90 apart and suitable for retaining the ladders in assembled position and permitting assembly and disassembly. Apertures of more or less than four sides may be used instead of the four-sided apertures I3 and 18 if desired, the important factors being the locking of the plate IS in the specified positions.

Since the upper ladder may be assembled and disassembled with the lower ladder by moving the upper ladder sidewise, the assembly and disassembly may be made while the lower ladder is in erected position and this work may be accomplished by a single individual since he can readily handle one ladder and move it sidewise whereas, due to the weight and awkwardness of two ladders, two men are often required to erect an extension ladder.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

-What is claimed is:

1. In an extension ladder including a lower ladder having side rails an upper ladder having side rails disposed between and adjacent to the side rails of the lower ladder and rigid brackets attached to one side of the lower ladder and projecting over the upper edge of the adjacent side rail of the upper ladder, the combination of adjustable means for retaining the two ladders in assembled relation and permitting assembly and disassembly thereof by moving the upper ladder laterally relative to the lower ladder, said adjustable means comprising two similar fittings spaced apart longitudinally of the ladder and opposed to the said rigid brackets, each of said adjustable fittings comprising a lower flat plate secured against the inner side of the adjacent side rail of the lower ladder, an upper angle shaped plate to lie close to the outer side and top edge of the adjacent side rail of the upper ladder and to rotate about 90 away from said side rail, said plates having pivot-receiving eye portions positioned approximately midway between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent side rail of said upper ladder, one of said plates having two spaced apart eye portions provided, respectively, with cylindrical and non-cylindrical pivot-pin-receiving holes and the other plate having an eye portion between the said two eye portions and provided with a pivot-pin-receiving hole conforming in cross-section to that of the said noncylindrical hole of the other plate, a pivot pin having a head at its upper end and a shank in and conforming in cross-section to the crossseotions of said holes in said eye portions, and spring means on the lower end of said shank and compressed against the adjacent plate for urging said pin downwardly endwise to bring its noncylindrical parts into said non-cylindrical holes of the plates thereby to lock the upper plate in position to retain the upper ladder in assembled position relative to said lower ladder.

2. A fitting for retaining the upper and lower ladders of an extension ladder in assembled relation and for permitting assembly and disassembly thereof by moving the upper ladder laterally relative to the lower ladder, comprising a lower fiat plate to be secured against the inner side of the adjacent side rail of the lower ladder, an upper, right angle shaped plate to lie close to the outer side and top edge of the adjacent side rail of the upper ladder, said plates having pivot-receiving eye portions to be positioned approximately midway between the upper and lower edges of the adjacent side rail of said upper ladder, one of said plates having two spaced apart eye portions provided, respectively, with cylindrical and non-cylindrical pivot-pin-receiving holes and the other plate having an eye portion between the said two eye portions and provided with a pivot-pin-receiving hole conforming in cross-section to that of the said non-cylindrical hole of the other plate, a pivot pin having a head at its upper end and a shank in and having axially spaced sections conforming in cross-section to the cross-sections of said holes in said eye portions, and spring means on the lower end of said shank and compressed against the adjacent plate for urging said pin downwardly endwise to bring its non-cylindrical parts into said noncylindrical holes of the plates thereby to lock the upper plate in position to retain the upper ladder in assembled position relative to said lower ladder, said spring permitting upward endwise movement of said pin in the opposite direction to bring its non-cylindrical part into only one of said eye portions and thereby to permit the angle plate to be rotated through about to clear the adjacent side rail of the upper ladder.

KALMAN A. SPLUVAK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 195,563 Berg Sept. 25, 187'? 619,334 Nichol et al Feb. 14, 1899 1,166,702 Mardon et al. Jan. 4, 1916 1,549,696 Wernli et a1 Aug. 11, 1925 1,696,357 Johnson Dec. 25, 1928 1,806,185 Skeels May 19, 1931 

